Samsung Galaxy S4: What you need to know

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will finally be unveiled on Thursday and all the rumors and leaks will finally be coming to and end. Invitations have been sent, teaser videos are live, and Samsung's prepped to launch their biggest device of the year on March 14th in NYC - and we'll be there live! Read on below for everything you need to know, as well as what we know so far.

The rumor mills will finally be closing and all the details will be revealed. Everything you want to know about the Galaxy S4 will be detailed right on stage, and we'll immediately follow it with live coverage, hands-on pictures, and plenty of video. As a reminder this will take place on March 14th at 7pm ET, and you can join the fun right from Times Square. Some pictures leaked this morning, but we can't confirm if they are legit, so here's what we know so far:

Galaxy S4 display
Samsung has been working hard on the screen for their "next galaxy" and the S4 will certainly impress. While they won't be the first 1080p smartphone on the block the Galaxy S4 promises an impressive and energy efficient 4.99-inch 1920x1080p FHD resolution. It will push nearly 441 pixels-per-inch, be extremely crisp, and is rumored to have a next-gen display technology that is super efficient and sips on our battery.

All reports, leaks and benchmarks basically confirm the 4.99-inch 1080p display, so we'll just have to wait and see how impressive their new tech is under the hood.

8-core processors and LTE
Samsung announced their new Exynos 5 Octa 8-core processor at CES, and multiple reports have all "confirmed" this will be powering the Galaxy S4. Not to mention multiple benchmark leaks. For better or for worse latest reports suggest the European model will enjoy the 8-core processor, while in the US we'll have the 1.8 GHz Snapdragon 600 series quad-core processor - which has already proven itself as very very capable.

Stateside we'll get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series, which is their latest and greatest, and along with it comes their Quick Charge 2.0 features and some of the best 4G LTE modems available. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and the rest will all have full 4G LTE support for the fastest mobile data connection available today.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
All the leaked screenshots we've seen over the past few weeks confirm the Galaxy S4 will be up to date running essentially the latest version of Android right from Google. That being Android 4.2 Jelly Bean complete with Google Now voice search, lockscreen widgets, expandable notifications, and much much more. We're even hearing they've got their own camera features, but more on that below. Samsung's TouchWiz will continue to improve, and not look so cartoonish.

While the hardware will be vastly improved, we've been hearing the actual software will be the most impressive and "eye catching" features of the Galaxy S4. We say "eye catching" because their new Eye-Scroll feature will reportedly scroll through pages while reading based on eye-tracking software. Go to the next page automatically when you reach the bottom, and even pause video once you look away from the screen. We welcome anything that makes our lives easy. Keep up the good work Samsung!

13 Megapixel camera & Samsung Orb
HTC stepped up their game with the HTC One and its Ultrapixel camera, and Android 4.1 introduced Photo Sphere 360 panorama modes and more. Samsung will reportedly be taking all of these head on. For one Samsung execs have mentioned their new feature called Samsung Orb that will take on iOS panorama mode, as well as Google's Photo Sphere.

We've also seen patents confirming Samsung is working on 3D image and video capture, all using a single lens instead of dual-camera setups like we've seen in the past. It's being reported that the 13 megapixel camera on the Galaxy S4 will be the best mobile camera available, and their wide-angle 2.2 front shooter will be great for video chat and self portraits.

Global Launch
Just like the Samsung Galaxy S III and their Note II the Galaxy S4 will be launched globally on almost all carriers. The Galaxy S III hit all major US carriers in the same month, with the same design, and this should help cut down on fragmentation and slower updates. We've heard early April for a launch date, but nothing is in stone until Samsung confirms the details on stage this Thursday. Hopefully it arrives in late March, but that's pushing our luck.

Design & Internals
Everything has basically been confirmed at this point. Although we can't really say 100% with certainty all the details are accurate. So far here's the skinny. We'll get a 4.99-inch 1080p FHD display, quad and 8-core processors, 2GB of RAM, 32 and 64GB of storage, amazing camera, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and a huge battery. The 2,600 mAh battery should also feature wireless charging if rumors are correct. That's a quick rundown but here's a few other additional bits of information.

The Galaxy S4 will still be built of lightweight plastic - which many claim makes it feel cheap. If it works, why change it? That's Samsung's approach and will millions and millions of Galaxy S III sales there's no reason to change. Today's images however do show a nice aluminum ring around the sides, but we'll have to wait and see.

Another important thing we've not mentioned much is the addition of better wireless radios. Many tablets now support dual-band MIMO like the Kindle Fire HD, and we're expecting similar things here. The S4 should have support for the latest and fastest 802.11 ac WiFi specification and be dual-band.

Wrap-Up
The Samsung Galaxy S4 will have some strong competition this year from the recently announced HTC One, and Motorola is reportedly working hard with Google on a next-gen X-Phone that should also rival the GS4. Samsung shouldn't be too concerned though, and are expecting sales to surpass 100 million for the Galaxy S4 alone.

The Galaxy SII and SIII were both released in May, but this year it looks like we'll get this next-gen flagship smartphone in April. You can expect Samsung to have a few tricks up their sleeves when they announce the device, so you'll certainly want to stay tuned right here. For everything else we know, hit the links below. Android Community will be reporting live from New York City for the Galaxy S4 announcement. Stick around!

Samsung has had panorama mode since at least the first Galaxy S. Orb isnt “taking on” the panorama feature from iOS 6, that isnt even a consideration at this point.

Randy Leahy

Bah.. U.S. doesn’t get the 4+4 that stinks.. If thats true that makes me lean toward the Htc One..

http://www.androidcommunity.com Cory Gunther

Why? It will have the same processor as the One in the US. Just saying

http://www.facebook.com/michaelgonzalez2012 Michael Gonzalez

It will have the same performance (quad A15’s) it just won’t have the extended battery life low power mode which the quad A7’s allow for.

Mike Ennamorato

The 600 doesn’t use A-15, It uses Krait which is more A-9

http://www.facebook.com/michaelgonzalez2012 Michael Gonzalez

Ew.. A9 would be weak. If that’s the case I won’t be buying an S4 this year.

http://www.androidcommunity.com Cory Gunther

The 600 is fast as hell though. Did you guys see our benchmarks? 13,00 in Quadrant. That’s nuts!

http://twitter.com/Sal_Akuma Salman Ahmed

really looking forward to it.

http://www.examiner.com/internet-and-technology-in-national/david-frankk David Frankk

It won’t be plain sailing for sure. special when we have phones like the lumia 920 and blackberry z 10 ready to hit the market. Here is what makes the Z10 stand out !

Uriah Romero

I do like the feature that will automatically scroll pages, and I can see a lot of good coming out of it. Personally, I’m mostly looking forward to the 1080p display that is appearing in the top smartphones. Taking into account that the commute to and from work at DISH takes some time, I stream my live and recorded shows on the way. The DISH Anywhere app gives me this ability, and I can use it wherever I go, so it’d be awesome to watch on a higher resolution display.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000314962648 James Kelly

Okay, i’m getting seriously tired of people defending the Galaxy SIII’s design and materials with sales numbers. It’s commercial success is no excuse for the device feeling cheap and looking like crap.

Qamanirjuaq

It’s hideous though! How could they be that short sighted. I’d lean towards HTC or z10